"You can’t stop a community making the most of opportunities, once people realise what is possible."

Scott Gibson, Group CEO, Britehouse

 

The project was spearheaded by Mrs. Emmeline Bester, Britehouse Corporate Social Investment Officer, who has built a beautiful body of work within and around the Diepsloot ommunity.  Her relationships with the school afforded us the opportunity to fasttrack this collaboration opportunity to provide these learners with their first digital POP UP (Point of Presence for Unleashing Potential).

 

 

Challenge:

The students at this particular school had experienced five (5) armed robberies before we had our first meeting.  Emmeline and the school leadership had to meet with us out in the sun on the day of the site visit while armed police offices carrying shot gun rifles walked back and forth trying to gain as much information on the perpetrators as possible. It was evident very early on in the discussions that they were up against an enormous challenge as they had no chemistry lab, ICT resource centre, library or even a printer to produce workbook materials and copies for administrative purposes.  

 

The school itself was built on a dump site which has had an impact on placing the physical structure.  Soon after attempting to provide a paving base, working with local contractors,  for the cargotecture unit we started experiencing geotech issues which paving sinking away over time.  

 

The school has no sports infrastructure, working toilet facilities and a shelter for the volunteers who secure the gate.  

 

The Funders Goal:.

In partnership with social entrepreneur company, Got-Game, the Britehouse Group will deepen its social investment within the Diepsloot community in Johannesburg, while creating a self-sustaining and replicable vehicle through which other communities can benefit from corporate social investment. 

Britehouse Got Game ™ is based on a digital hub from which many spokes of empowerment radiate within and beyond a community through teacher and student development, empowerment of women, enterprise development, access to information, and employment.

 

Training:

• To date, 6 teachers and 4 graduates have been trained on the SMART technology suite hosted inside the Digital POP UP as well as Kwena Malopo High School.

• The graduates have also completed SAP courses provided by MENTEC FOUNDATION in 2015

• The graduates are earmarked to be trained on servicing the hub through digital jobs in the first quarter of 2016 through an eSMART initiative being launched in Johannesburg.

 

Job Creation:

• Four (4) jobs have currently been formed through the Britehouse GOT-GAME initiative  

• An additional  50 is being earmarked in 2016 through the digital jobs campaign.